The effects of logotherapy on meaning in life and quality of life of late adolescents with terminal cancer

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of a logotherapy program entitled 'Finding meaning in my life' for adolescents with terminal cancer. Methods: A nonequivalent control group, non-synchronized design was conducted with a convenience sample of 44 late adolescents with terminal cancer. The experimental group (n=22) participated in the 'Finding meaning in my life' program which consisted of five-day sessions for one week. The control group (n=22) received the usual nursing care. The effects were measured using adolescent meaning in life (AMIL), and quality of life (QOL) scales. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and t-test using SPSS/PC 17.0 program. Results: There were significant differences in AMIL (t=3.36, p<.05) and QOL (t=2.67, p<.05) between the experimental and control groups. Conclusion: Logotherapy is effective in improving the meaning in life and quality of life of late adolescents with terminal cancer, and can be used to prevent existential distress

Primary Osteosarcoma in Patients Older than 40 Years of Age

Among the 665 patients who registered at our hospital, we reviewed 39 cases of high grade primary osteosarcoma in patients who were older than 40 yr of age. The aim of this study was to determine if a primary osteosarcoma in older patients has different clinical features, and a poorer prognosis than in younger patients. Two evaluations were performed. In the first, an attempt was made to determine the possible prognostic factors such as gender, location, size, alkaline phosphatase, radiological findings, chemotherapy intensity, chemotherapy-induced tumor necrosis, and surgical margin. The second evaluation involved assessment of whether there were any significant clinical differences between older patients and adolescents. According to the results, a primary osteosarcoma in older patients did not reveal any significant prognostic variables. A primary osteosarcoma in older patients showed a poorer prognosis due to relatively unusual locations, common abnormal radiological findings, and a poor response to chemotherapy. Therefore, careful attention should be paid to making an accurate diagnosis and new strategies for more effective treatment, including chemotherapy, must to be developed in order to achieve long term survival in older patients with osteosarcoma

Safety, tolerability of ES16001, a novel varicella zoster virus reactivation inhibitor, in healthy adults

Purpose Herpes zoster (HZ), or shingles, is a clinical syndrome resulting from the reactivation of latent varicella zoster virus (VZV) within the sensory ganglia. We evaluated the safety and tolerability of ES16001 (ethanol extract of Elaeocarpus sylvestris var. ellipticus), a novel inhibitor of varicella zoster virus reactivation in healthy adults. Method Single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single and multiple ascending dose (SAD and MAD, respectively) studies were conducted in 20- to 45-year-old healthy adults without chronic disease. In the SAD study (n = 32), subjects randomly received a single oral dose of 240, 480, 960, or 1440 mg ES16001 or a placebo. In the MAD study (n = 16), subjects randomly received once daily doses of 480 or 960 mg ES16001 or a placebo for 5 days. The safety and tolerability of the drug were evaluated by monitoring participants treatment emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and vital signs, electrocardiograms (ECGs), physical examinations, and clinical laboratory tests. Results In the SAD study, 11 adverse reactions were seen in 5 subjects, and in the MAD study, 8 adverse reactions were seen in 6 subjects. All adverse reactions were mild, and no serious adverse reactions occurred. The most common adverse reaction was an increase in alanine aminotransferase (ALT), but all test values were in the clinically non-significant range, and their clinical significance was judged to be small considering the fact that most of the test values returned to normal immediately after the end of drug administration. Conclusion ES16001 has good safety and tolerability when administered both once and repeatedly to healthy subjects. Further research is needed to identify any possible drug-induced hepatotoxicity, which appears infrequently. Our findings provide a rationale for further clinical investigations of ES16001 for the prevention of HZ. Trial registration: CRIS, KCT0006066. Registered 7 April 2021—Retrospectively registered, https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/search/detailSearch.do/19071).This study was funded by Genencell Co. Ltd, Yongin, Korea

Ultraviolet nanoimprinted polymer nanostructure for organic light emitting diode application

Light extraction efficiency of a conventional organic light emitting diode (OLED) remains limited to approximately 20% as most of the emission is trapped in the waveguide and glass modes. An etchless simple method was developed to fabricate two-dimensional nanostructures on glass substrate directly by using ultraviolet (UV) curable polymer resin and UV nanoimprint lithography in order to improve output coupling efficiency of OLEDs. The enhancement of the light extraction was predicted by the three-dimensional finite difference time domain method. OLEDs integrated on nanoimprinted substrates enhanced electroluminance intensity by up to 50% compared to the conventional device

Acetic acid-indigo carmine chromoendoscopy for delineating early gastric cancers: its usefulness according to histological type

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Endoscopic treatments, such as endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) and laparoscopic gastrectomy, are increasingly used to treat a subset of patients with early gastric cancer (EGC). To achieve successful outcomes, it is very important to accurately determine the lateral extent of the tumor. Therefore, we investigated the diagnostic performance of chromoendoscopy using indigo carmine dye added to acetic acid (AI chromoendoscopy) in delineating differentiated or undifferentiated adenocarcinomas in patients with EGC.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We prospectively included 151 lesions of 141 patients that had an endoscopic diagnosis of EGC. All the lesions were examined by conventional endoscopy and AI chromoendoscopy before ESD or laparoscopic gastrectomy. The border clarification between the lesion and the normal mucosa was classified as distinct or indistinct before and after AI chromoendoscopy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The borders of the lesions were distinct in 66.9% (101/151) with conventional endoscopy and in 84.1% (127/151) with AI chromoendoscopy (<it>P </it>< 0.001). Compared with conventional endoscopy, AI chromoendoscopy clarified the border in a significantly higher percentage of differentiated adenocarcinomas (74/108 [68.5%] vs 97/108 [89.8%], respectively, <it>P </it>< 0.001). However, the border clarification rate for undifferentiated adenocarcinomas did not differ between conventional endoscopy and AI chromoendoscopy (27/43 [62.8%] vs 30/43 [70.0%], respectively, <it>P </it>= 0.494).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>AI chromoendoscopy is useful in determining the lateral extent of EGCs. However, its usefulness is reduced in undifferentiated adenocarcinomas.</p

PIAS1 regulates CP2c localization and active promoter complex formation in erythroid cell-specific α-globin expression

Data presented here extends our previous observations on α-globin transcriptional regulation by the CP2 and PIAS1 proteins. Using RNAi knockdown, we have now shown that CP2b, CP2c and PIAS1 are each necessary for synergistic activation of endogenous α-globin gene expression in differentiating MEL cells. In this system, truncated PIAS1 mutants lacking the ring finger domain recruited CP2c to the nucleus, as did wild-type PIAS1, demonstrating that this is a sumoylation-independent process. In vitro, recombinant CP2c, CP2b and PIAS1 bound DNA as a stable CBP (CP2c/CP2b/PIAS1) complex. Following PIAS1 knockdown in MEL cells, however, the association of endogenous CP2c and CP2b with the α-globin promoter simultaneously decreased. By mapping the CP2b- and CP2c-binding domains on PIAS1, and the PIAS1-binding domains on CP2b and CP2c, we found that two regions of PIAS1 that interact with CP2c/CP2b are required for its co-activator function. We propose that CP2c, CP2b, and PIAS1 form a hexametric complex with two units each of CP2c, CP2b, and PIAS1, in which PIAS1 serves as a clamp between two CP2 proteins, while CP2c binds directly to the target DNA and CP2b mediates strong transactivation

Nanosilver Colloids-Filled Photonic Crystal Arrays for Photoluminescence Enhancement

For the improved surface plasmon-coupled photoluminescence emission, a more accessible fabrication method of a controlled nanosilver pattern array was developed by effectively filling the predefined hole array with nanosilver colloid in a UV-curable resin via direct nanoimprinting. When applied to a glass substrate for light emittance with an oxide spacer layer on top of the nanosilver pattern, hybrid emission enhancements were produced from both the localized surface plasmon resonance-coupled emission enhancement and the guided light extraction from the photonic crystal array. When CdSe/ZnS nanocrystal quantum dots were deposited as an active emitter, a total photoluminescence intensity improvement of 84% was observed. This was attributed to contributions from both the silver nanoparticle filling and the nanoimprinted photonic crystal array